Girls' Hockey
For the second time in three years, what looked to be a very promising season heading into tournament play for the girls ice hockey team was cut short, as the Raiders fell to the Canton Bulldogs Monday night 6-4.
It was a very tight contest as the two teams were deadlocked 3-3 more than halfway through the third period. However, with six minutes remaining in regulation, Canton’s Megan McKenna put the Bulldogs ahead after the Raiders were not able to clear the puck from their own end.
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Wellesley responded two minutes later when Molly Connolly found the back of the net to tie the game 4-4, but just after the ensuing face-off a scrum in front of Raiders’ goalie Charlotte Borgatti lead to Casey Considine poking in a loose puck to put Canton ahead.
The Bulldogs never looked back from that point, and with the win earned a Quarter Finals match-up with the Duxbury Dragons.
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While the Raiders may only be graduating four seniors, the loss of Borgatti, Abby Bunting, Maggie Dore and Rylee Norton will surely be felt. Still, look for big things from this team over the next few seasons as a number of talented players are still yet to reach their junior year.
Girls' Basketball
Despite getting off to a slow start, the girls basketball team was able to put up 54 points en route to eliminating the Needham Rockets 54-17 Wednesday night. Blake Dietrick led the way with 20 points, while Tierra Allen chipped in with a double-double scoring 15, and hauling down 11 rebounds.
The first quarter was filled with sloppy play, as both teams committed a number of turnovers and the Raiders only managed 6 points through the game’s opening five minutes. Wellesley was able to get over their opening game jitters rather quickly, as they jumped out to a 15-point lead before the half, and never looked back.
With the win, Wellesley moves on to play Braintree for the second time in two weeks, as the teams will clash in the Quarter Finals tonight at 7pm.
Boys' Hockey
Wednesday night, Milton’s boys hockey team relived their 2008 heartbreaking loss to Wellesley, as once again the Raiders ended the Wildcats season in an overtime thriller with a 1-0 win.
Returning to the ice for the first time since a wrist injury forced him to miss most of the regular season, junior Ryan Cassidy was the hero as 10:31 into the extra frame he broke into the Milton zone, and against two defenders found the net with a backhand through the five-hole to give Wellesley the win.
Zach Herbert-Burns looked terrific in net, stopping 30 shots on the net to record his first post-season shutout.
With the win, the Raiders advance to the quarterfinals, taking on the Duxbury Dragons. The puck drops Saturday night at 6pm at the Asiaf Arena in Brockton.
Boys' Basketball
The week got off to a nice start for the boys basketball team, as their defense came up big again against Dennis-Yarmouth, holding the Dolphins to just 39 points to earn a match-up in the quarterfinals against King Philip.
However, Thursday night the Raiders post-season run came to a screeching halt as the Warriors (who boast 13 players over six feet in their line-up) had their way with Wellesley, as they moved on with a 61-42 win in Larsson Gymnasium.
As the old saying goes, perimeter teams live and die with the three-point shot, and unfortunately for the Raiders, shots weren’t falling the way Wellesley fans have been accustomed to seeing all season long. On top of that, as good as the Raiders have looked in the paint through out the year, their size was exposed as they had no answers for the Warriors’ 6’8” junior Jake Layman who finished with 30 points and 20 rebounds on the night.
“He’s legit,” said coach Glen Magpiong of the center, following the game. “We threw some junk at him that obviously they’ve played against before, and they ran it well. The ball goes up, he grabs it. He’s a good player at both ends of the floor.”
The team has some holes to plug next season, as Blake Dowling, Adam and Matt Farina, Duncan Johnson and Armand Menegay have all played their last game in a Wellesley uniform. Magpiong fought back tears while describing the players he’ll miss next season.
“[The seniors are] great leaders," Magpiong said. "They are the best leaders I’ve ever seen at this school. They made the coaches’ jobs a lot easier because they led the troops and really took the underclassman under their wings and they are terrific young men and terrific leaders.”
